A travel management system is known which manages travel of a vehicle properly with information exchanged between a driver management apparatus of the vehicle and a travel management center through communication between the apparatus and the center. A travel manager in the travel management center confirms the data on the driver and vehicle that are sent from the driver management apparatus to the travel management center. Then, the travel manager judges whether the state of the driver is normal or abnormal and issues instructions or a warning.
However, because the data on the driver and vehicle are sent only at preset times, countermeasures are taken late if, for example, the driver is likely to suddenly get ill.
Another travel management system (for example, refer to JP 2002-74599 A) includes a driver management apparatus, which includes a driver state determination unit. Based on physiological data (such as heart rate) of a driver, the determination unit determines whether the state of the driver is normal or not. If the determination unit determines that the state is abnormal, the unit transmits an image of a face of the driver (or the face image and the physiological data) to the management center. Based on the face image, the travel manager of the management center comprehensively judges situations, such as the state of the driver. Then, the manager gives instructions or commands to the driver.
An occupant face image processing system is known which can improve security by accurately acquiring information related to an occupant that drives the vehicle. The occupant face image processing system includes a face image acquiring means for acquiring an image of the face of the occupant, a converting means for converting data on the image into a data form for transmission, and a communication controlling means for transmitting the converted data to an on-road device and receiving instruction information for the acquisition of an image of the face from the on-road device (for example, refer to JP 2001-126091 A).
In the travel management system disclosed in JP 2002-74599 A, the driver management apparatus transmits a face image simultaneously with the determination, based on the state of the driver determined from his/her physiological data. However, the timing of photographing a face image is not specified. It is difficult for the travel manager of the travel management center to properly judge the driver's situation such as his/her state, based on only one face image.
In the occupant face image processing system disclosed in JP 2001-126091 A, an image of the face of the occupant is converted into a transmittable data form and transmitted. However, it is not specified what scene is cut out and transmitted. It is difficult for the travel manager in the travel management center to properly judge the situations, such as the state of the driver, based only on the cut-out face image.